Safety in Numbers
by CoffeeOwl
Summary: After little baby Henry has a seizure, JJ is understandably worried. On the plane back home, Reid offers her his favourite comfort blanket: statistics. Fluffy one-shot.


So I vaguely remember an episode long ago in which little baby Henry has a seizure. Here's a one-shot between JJ and Reid on the plane back home in which Reid offers her his favourite comfort blanket: statistics.

I have the 'Illustrated Textbook of Paediatrics', 4th edition to thank for the factual information.

* * *

"It will probably not come as a surprise to you that I find comfort in statistics; they help ground me when I lose track of reality."

"Spence, not that I don't appreciate your concern, but I'd really rather not talk-"

"I know every case if different and you need to approach each individually without being overly reassured by numbers, so that you can objectively-"

"I just got off the phone, he still hasn't woken up… I don't want to-"

"JJ, what Henry experienced was a febrile seizure."

"I _know_, I said-"

"A febrile seizure is a seizure accompanied by a fever in the absence of intracranial infection due to bacterial meningitis or viral encephalitis."

"Please, stop."

"He's already had his blood tests done-"

"_Yes_, they were _fine_. But that doesn't negate the fact that _my son has had a seizure_."

"3% of children, between the ages of 6 months and 5 years experience febrile seizures."

"That's… a lot. That's a lot of little boys and girls… you say all this as if it's making you feel better."

"Henry's seizure wasn't prolonged, his fever was considerably high; if it was low then it would be more worrying that he only needed a mild fever to provoke a seizure."

"Would you leave it alone, please? I don't want to talk about it. I can't stop thinking about it as it is."

"And there's no family history of any seizures, so it's unlikely there's a genetic predisposition."

"Reid, she asked you to leave her alone."

"One minute, Hotch. Simple febrile seizures do not cause brain damage. The child's subsequent intellectual performance is the same as in children who do not experience a febrile seizure."

"It's not… I'm not just concerned about his _intelligence_, Spencer, intelligence isn't the only thing that matters."

"Without the positive family history, considering the low temperature at the time of the seizure, its duration, and Henry's age, the probability that he develops epilepsy…"

"_Spence._"

"Is one to two per cent."

"One… to two."

"One to two, the same risk as any other child."

"The same?"

"There's a 98-99% chance that this was a one-off event that will never reoccur and never bother him in later life."

"…really?"

"Really. Research backs it up, it's all there in the numbers. I find them reassuring. I'd be reassured if I were you."

"I guess."

"I'm sorry I bothered you, I just thought you should know the statistics."

"…thanks."

"I wasn't trying to imply that I wasn't worried about Henry…"

"I know."

"Because I know you need to approach each case individually."

"Sigh."

"I had a seizure when I was four."

"…really?"

"My mother panicked so much. She didn't know what to do, and my father wasn't home at the time. She called him, he called an ambulance, they were all panicking. The seizure only lasted about forty seconds. They discharged me straight away. I then read up all about febrile convulsions, about epilepsy. I gave my parents the statistics. They were reassured, but they were still worried."

"I know how they felt."

"I've never had a seizure since."

"Good."

"Huh, I wonder if the FBI would waive my medical files along with all my fitness tests if I had developed epilepsy. I'm sure there's a limit to how physically inept a person-"

"_Spence_."

"Hmm?"

"Thank you. Thanks for forcing me to listen to all the figures."

"Oh. You're welcome."

"I feel much better about it all. I'm still _worried_, though."

"Of course."

"Want to come to the hospital with me when we land? Say hi to Henry?"

"I'd love that."

"I'm sure he'll love that too."

"Want me to tell you about reflex anoxic seizures?"

"Oh God no."


End file.
